How to avoid a shocking accident with an electric car

Emergency services in the UK will receive training on how to rescue drivers from battery-powered cars without being electrocuted

American firefighters in Chicago during a training session on a Chevrolet Volt (Handout)
From the beginning of next year British firefighters will be trained to rescue
stricken drivers from battery-powered cars without being electrocuted.

Emergency services will receive a checklist of potential dangers. In America,
where the Chevrolet Volt is launched next month, its manufacturer has been
training rescuers to identify the orange casings indicating high-voltage
wires, as well as the location of batteries and motors. US firefighters are
told always to assume that a vehicle is live until the start key is removed,
and to consider it unsafe for five minutes after that in case electrical
devices are still charged.

The British training programme is being developed by the Society of Motor
Manufacturers and Traders, and will also teach breakdown services such as
the AA and garage mechanics how to work on electric vehicles (EVs) safely.

In Britain only 55 purely electric cars were registered last year. However,
more mainstream manufacturers are